Online advertisement compensation system and method

Abstract

A system and method for online advertising are disclosed. In the disclosed system and method, a compensation component remits payment to end users predicated on their views or clicks of internet advertisements whereby a user may receive compensation for his or her attention to the advertisements. In one embodiment, when the system and method is implemented, a user receives points for his or her attention to the advertisement within a proprietary browser-based search engine. The system and method further converts the points into monetary compensation based on a compensation component thereby increasing the motivation for users to view and/or select an online advertisement. The system and method utilizes a compensation component that will complete payment to the user. Depending on the embodiment, the advertisement may be broadcast or distributed using cellular telephone, other mobile devices, the World Wide Web, or other web-enabled mediums.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for providing online advertisements within a browser-based search engine, the system comprising:
 one or more participant terminals operable to act as a client on a network;   a browser-based search engine, wherein said browser-based search engine includes a registration component configured to register a user as a registered user in order to login to said browser-based search engine, wherein the registration component is adapted to store a registered user's login information in said database, and wherein the registration component is configured to verify the registered user's login information with said database, and wherein said registration component is adapted to access a user table corresponding to said registered user, wherein said user table corresponding to said registered user contains a user status, and wherein said registered user can access the browser-based search engine when said user status is enabled;   a computer operable to act as a server on the network and to communicate with each of the participant terminals over the network, the computer comprising:
 a memory configured to store a set of instructions; and 
 a processor configured to execute the set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions cause the processor to: 
   receive a search term including one or more search terms from said registered user;   search the internet for each search term utilizing said browser-based search engine;   retrieve a result set, wherein said result set includes one or more instances where the one or more search terms have been utilized in the internet, and wherein said result set includes a list of paid listings from advertisers; and wherein said list of paid listings includes a list of links to a product from said advertisers, and wherein the client is adapted to display said result set in said browser-based search engine;   display said online advertisements, wherein said online advertisements include a portion that is responsive and a portion that is unresponsive to the search terms to the registered user through said browser-based search engine, wherein said online advertisements are configured to be displayed within said browser-based search engine, and wherein said online advertisements have a corresponding advertisement table in said database, and wherein said corresponding advertisement table contains a record, and wherein the record includes a unique advertisement ID, and wherein said online advertisements are further adapted to be displayed within said browser-based search engine in various forms, and wherein said browser-based search engine is adapted to display said online advertisements through the use of said client, and wherein the client is configured to display said online advertisements in said browser-based search engine through the internet;   calculate a point score based on a registered user's activity, wherein the point score is stored in said user table corresponding to said registered user, and wherein the system is configured to convert said point score to a monetary value by implementing an algorithm coupled to a compensation component; and,   compensate said registered users with said monetary value utilizing said compensation component, wherein said compensation component is configured to access said user table corresponding to said registered user to distribute the appropriate monetary value based on said point score of said registered user.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said registered user's activity includes clicking the online advertisements. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said registered user's activity includes viewing the online advertisements. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said registered user's activity includes clicking and viewing the online advertisements. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said various forms includes banners. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said various forms includes animated advertisements. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said various forms includes pop-up advertisements. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said various forms includes button advertisements. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 distribute said monetary value to said registered user via a third-party payment system.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 stream media from an advertiser, wherein the advertiser has a server configured to transmit said online advertisements over the internet.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 stream media from an advertiser, wherein the system has a server configured to transmit said online advertisements over the internet.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said user table corresponding to said registered user is configured to store said registered user's social login information, and wherein said social login information includes login information associated with at least one social networking service. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 receive an indication that said online advertisements has been clicked by said registered user within the browser-based search engine, wherein the indication is stored in said user table corresponding to said registered user and an advertisement table corresponding to each of the online advertisements in said database; and,   receive an indication that the advertisement has been viewed by the registered user within the browser-based search engine, wherein the indication is stored in a said user table corresponding to said registered user and an advertisement table corresponding to each of the online advertisements in said database.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 compile information based on the online advertisements that said registered user has viewed or selected, wherein said information is available to advertisers, and wherein said information is stored in said user table corresponding to said registered user and the advertisement table corresponding to each of the online advertisements in said database, and wherein said information can be exported to said advertisers; and,   store information based on demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics associated with the registered user in the database.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 display the advertisements according to a registered user's preferences, wherein the registered user's preference comprises at least one of the following:
 display said online advertisements with text only; 
 display said online advertisements with text coupled with said banner; 
 display said online advertisements with said banner only; and 
 display no online advertisements. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , the processor device in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 calculate a click-through-rate for said online advertisements;   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said compensation component is configured to receive compensation by advertisers based on at least one of the following:
 calculating a number of clicks said online advertisements receive;   calculating a number of views said online advertisements receive;   calculating an increase in the click-through-rate for said online advertisements;   and,   displaying said online advertisements in said browser-based search engine.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , the processing device in response to further executable instructions, further operative to:
 display advertisements based on an advertiser's preference, wherein the advertiser's preference is stored in a corresponding advertisement table, and wherein the corresponding advertisement table includes demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics of the registered user or a group of registered users.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said online advertisements have an advertisement profile in the database, wherein the advertisement profile contains a corresponding unique advertisement ID, a name of said online advertisements, a date on which said online advertisements were selected by said registered users, a date on which said advertisements may no longer be provided to said registered users, a description of how the system is compensated for displaying said online advertisements, a name of an advertiser associated with said online advertisements, and a list of which registered users have viewed said advertisement. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said database is configured to include user tables which includes authorization information for each registered user as identified by a unique user identifier, and wherein said user tables contain a record which includes a registered user's login and password, a registered user's social login information, a registered user's status, a registered user's first and last name, a registered user's driver's license number, a registered user's social security number, a registered user's address, a registered user's e-mail address, a registered user's phone number(s), a registered user's credit card information, a registered user's billing address, and a registered user's bank account information,